The hazard perception test

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain how the HPT clips work and how you respond.
• You can say when you are eligible to sit the HPT in your state.
• You can recognise when the safe answer is to do nothing.
• You can use your supervised drives to practise scanning for hazards.

What you need to know and understand

• NSW: learners under 25 must hold their licence for at least 10 months before the HPT. A pass is valid for 15 months.
• NSW's test has two practice clips then 15 test clips, chosen at random from a larger pool. You touch the screen when you would act.
• Victoria: you can take the HPT from 17 years and 11 months, and must pass it before the drive test. It is now taken online through your myVicRoads account and shows 25 short videos.
• WA: you can sit the HPT once you have held your learner's permit for at least 6 months and are at least 16 and a half. No appointment is needed.
• SA requires the HPT, along with a practical test, to move from L to P1.
• Some clips have no safe moment to act. In those, the correct response is not to touch or click at all.
• In most states you pay a fee each time you sit the test. Victoria's first online attempt is free, but each retake costs extra, so wait until you are ready.

What happens during the test

Each clip starts with a short description, for example that you are driving on a 60 km/h road and want to turn right. You see the road as the driver would, including the speedometer and indicators. You respond at the moment you would take the action: by touching the screen in NSW, by clicking a mouse in WA, and on your own computer or tablet in Victoria's online test.

Respond too early and you may be choosing an unsafe gap. Respond too late and you may be leaving it too long, which also counts against you. If there is never a safe moment, the right answer is no response. In NSW you see each clip only once and cannot change your answer, just like real driving.

What the clips focus on

• Choosing safe gaps when turning across traffic at intersections.
• Keeping a safe following distance and slowing for hazards ahead.
• Deciding when it is safe to overtake or change lanes.
• Spotting pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles pulling out from parked positions.
• NSW bases its clips on the most common crash types for provisional drivers.

How to prepare

1. Read your state's hazard perception handbook or guide and try any official practice clips.
2. On real drives, talk through what you see: 'car might pull out', 'child near the kerb', 'gap is too small'.
3. Practise judging gaps at intersections with your supervisor before deciding to go.
4. Build up real experience in varied traffic, because the test rewards experience, not tricks.
5. Book only when you consistently make safe, calm decisions on the road.

Common mistakes

• Clicking repeatedly to be safe. Only your considered response counts, and in NSW once your touch is recorded you cannot change it.
• Assuming every clip needs a response. Some test whether you know to wait.
• Picking the first gap rather than a safe gap. Think about the speed of approaching traffic.
• Sitting the test too early to get it over with. Retakes cost money, and a pass runs out if you have not passed the drive test in time: 15 months in NSW and 12 months in Victoria.

Test yourself: The hazard perception test

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Hazard Perception Test Australia